Dwight Yorke believes Aston Villa should have ‘taken the money’ for Douglas Luiz following Arsenal’s failed attempts to sign the midfielder.
The Gunners had multiple offers, including a £25 million bid, rejected by Villa in the closing stages of the transfer window last summer.
Arsenal continued their search for a new central midfielder in January but did not reignite their interest in Luiz and instead opted to sign Jorginho in a £12 million deal from Chelsea.
Luiz, meanwhile, ended up signing a new contract with Villa, who demanded £40m from Arsenal last year.
However, Yorke believes the Brazilian is not good enough to improve Arsenal’s midfield.
‘I don’t understand why Aston Villa didn’t take the money for Luiz in the summer, if I were in that position I would have definitely taken the money Arsenal were offering for him,’ Yorke told LegalSportsbooks.com.
‘Luiz does a great job for Villa, but I don’t think he’s a super player to take Arsenal to the next level.
‘To leave a great historical club like Aston Villa, you need to make sure you’re going to make a difference at this even bigger club you’re leaving for.
‘Douglas Luiz is a player I have watched closely at Aston Villa and I’m not quite sure what his strengths are. What does he actually do? He’s very steady in midfield but I don’t understand the hype from the summer when Arsenal nearly signed him.
‘Luiz is not creative enough to sit in the midfield. He plays a crucial role at Villa, but you have to do more to warrant a big move.
‘I don’t think he’s a top four player, but he’s acceptable for Villa.’
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